Wednesday

Jun 6, 2012 at 7:23 PM

AUSTIN - Few state agencies are as influential as the Texas Railroad Commission, but in West Texas and across the state, most people may not understand the critical role it plays in the state's economy, mainly because of its misleading name. The commission regulates the state's oil and gas industry, not trains.

"The commission has existed with the wrong name for a long time," said state Rep. Warren Chisum, who is ending his 24-year legislative career to run for an open seat in the three-member agency.

"The name needs to be changed to reflect its present-day duties," said the Pampa Republican who, like a good number of state legislators, favors a more fitting name, such as the Texas Energy Commission or the Texas Oil and Gas Commission.

The Railroad Commission, which the Texas Legislature created in 1891, oversaw the railroad industry in the late 19th century and the turn of the 20th when trains were the engine of the state's economy, according to the agency's website and the Sunset Advisory Commission, a joint legislative performance review panel.

However, 90 years ago when oil and gas became key sectors of the Texas economy, lawmakers gave the agency the authority to oversee the energy industry.

Though the economic power of the train industry faded in the second half of the 20th century, thanks to the rich energy industry, for decades the Railroad Commission has been one of the most important agencies in Texas, in the same league as the Department of Agriculture and the Comptroller's Office.

"It's a very important agency, no doubt about it," said Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo, a member of the Sunset Commission. So important is it that it takes only a two-year legislative cycle to review a state agency but it is taking the panel two cycles to evaluate the Railroad Commission.

The Sunset Commission is considering some key recommendations for the Railroad Commission to the entire Legislature and high on the list is the name change.

Other proposals include having only one commissioner, or expanding the three-member board to as many as five.

However, over the years, no proposal has been successful because any significant change requires a two-thirds vote in the House and in the Senate.

In the last two sessions, for example, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, and Rep. Rob Orr, R-Burleson, have filed bills to rename the agency the Texas Energy Commission, but their efforts have fallen short because influential legislators, such as former Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, have successfully blocked them.

Craddick told The Avalanche-Journal when he led the fight to prevent the change that though some Texans may be confused by the commission's name, it is a different story in the energy markets, especially abroad.

In oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia or in OPEC circles, everyone is familiar with the Texas Railroad Commission, and changing its name would not be a good idea, Craddick argued.

The same goes for having a single commissioner. In the 2009 session for example, Rep. David Farabee, D-Wichita Falls, nearly passed a constitutional amendment that would have been sent to voters for final approval.

However, Craddick and then-Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock, convinced their colleagues a single commissioner was a bad idea because it would concentrate too much power on one person. The proposal fell short of the 100 votes it needed.

"I thought it was a bad idea then, and I still feel the same way today," Jones said. "The Railroad Commission is too important of an agency, especially for West Texas, and we shouldn't concentrate all of its powers on just one commissioner."

Although those proposed changes are still up in the air, one thing almost everyone agrees on is the agency needs to modernize itself.

"The technology needs to be updated," said Austin attorney Christi Craddick - daughter of former Speaker Craddick.

Christi Craddick is facing Chisum in a July 31 runoff for a Railroad Commission seat because they were the top vote getters in the six-candidate Republican primary.

"For example, its website is not user friendly," Christi Craddick said. "If you are looking for something specific, you are not likely to find it."

The agency also needs to do a better job in educating the public about its mission, especially in West Texas, Craddick said.

"Oil and gas is the lifeblood for West Texas," she said. "But I just don't think most people in Lubbock, Amarillo or anywhere else understand what the Railroad Commission does."

Price of Amarillo said he hears similar complaints.

"Commissioner Barry Smitherman was in Amarillo and he talked about how outdated the technology and the software is," Price said. "And I am sure there is a host of other issues."

To comment on this story:

enrique.rangel@morris.com • 512-673-7553

leesha.faulkner@lubbockonline.com • 766-8706

Sources: Sunset Advisory Commission and Texas Railroad Commission

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